The present invention belongs to separation, purification and analysis of liquid components, and relates to a method of transferring a liquid specimen in one container on a centrifugal rotor into another container on the same rotor, and more particularly to a method of injecting a liquid into a pressurizing or depressurizing container on a rotor from outside and pressurizing or depressurizing the interior of one container to feed a liquid specimen in the container under positive or negative pressure into another container.
In order to separate, purify or analyze a liquid specimen by use of a centrifugal rotor, it is necessary to stop the centrifugal rotor to manually aliquot the centrifuged components. But there are also known techniques that permit automatic separation, purification, and analysis of a liquid specimen without the need to stop the rotor, such as a method of aliquoting and discharging liquid components in a centrifugal rotor as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,124,173, a separating/mixing device and a separating/mixing/discharge device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,135,888, and a separating/purifying/analyzing rotor as disclosed in Utility Model No. 2147917.
In automatic centrifugal separating arrangements, specimens or reagents are injected into specimen containers on a rotating rotor from outside through a distributor. In this case, it is difficult to completely prevent mixing of microorganisms into specimens. If the specimens are biological ones, mixing of microorganisms can create especially serious problems.
If a volatile liquid such as alcohol is injected from outside, it causes a problem. Noxious strong acids or alkalis are not desirable either.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method that makes it possible to separate, purify or analyze specimens, reagent solutions, or poisonous specimens/specimen solutions put in a container on a rotor in a safe manner while completely preventing contamination by microorganisms by transferring such specimens into another container on the same rotor while the rotor is rotating.